Teenage life in a village

Teenage life in a small village has its advantages, but for most, being a teenager in a village is at best unexciting and, at worst, downright dull.

The fact is that villages are seen as inherently 'safe' – monotonous rather than dramatic, and constantly mediocre rather than inspiring.

This culture is diametrically opposed to the lives teenagers generally seek – excitement at discovering the unknown aspects of the world beyond one's own front door.

So, can the two cultures really work alongside each other in practical terms? And what can we do to enhance the experience of young people growing up in Audlem?

Boredom is a common symptom of village life for many a teenager, and though adults may lament the perceived laziness of a child watching television or playing video games all day, is there really any alternative?

Transport
A major issue for young people is transport; those under 17 must rely on public transport or (more often) Mum and Dad's taxi service to get to places or meet their friends. So if Mum and Dad aren't able (or perhaps willing) to offer a lift into town for example, are the public services there for young people to use?

In my personal case, the answer is no. In many a South Cheshire village, one may witness perhaps one or two buses a day, with the exception of school buses, making it extremely difficult to get about.

Add in the fact that the only buses to be seen are in the daytime – whilst most teenagers tend to socialise in the evening – along with the potential cutback of transport services due to the government's cuts programme, and the situation looks far from rosy. If you do manage to somehow find a bus on your route, the cost is also an issue, so the bank of Mum and Dad may be called upon.

Money
The topic of money has been brought into focus recently with the divisive issue of rising university fees. With maximum tuition fee levels set to hit £9,000, many youngsters are tasked with finding part time work to help fund their further education. However, employment prospects for youngsters are proving hard to come by: more than 20% of 16-24 year olds are still unemployed, and job opportunities are rarer still in small villages.

Without jobs, adolescents may struggle to pay for days or nights out with friends, finding themselves unable to enjoy live music, sport or any other interests which are simply not available outside of bigger towns and cities.

Closer to home
Perhaps the answer is to be found in providing young people with facilities closer to home, making transport and cost less of an issue, because the service is on their doorstep. As last year's Audlem Parish Plan acknowledges: "Young people depend more than adults on their immediate neighbourhood for their social life".

A local park, a leisure centre, even a few shops will do for some teenagers just to get out of their house and socialise, especially as they get older. Here, the Audlem Parish Plan has taken into consideration its younger residents in devising 'Operation Hut', a project with the guiding philosophy that children and adolescents should have "a permanent place to call their own".

Place to meet
The Plan aims to build a modest, sustainable structure where young people can meet up and perhaps take part in group activities. It's no silver bullet, but the early signs are promising. Most teenagers would appreciate the opportunity to have somewhere local just to socialise and hang out.

Adding extra facilities would be better, of course, but as a starting point, Operation Hut may go some way to alleviate some of the problems for teenagers living in small communities – in this case, Audlem.

Giving teenagers their own space also allows them to organise their own entertainment, such as live music or parties; not only giving parents a bit of time to themselves, but making young people more independent, which is both more beneficial and more difficult than it sounds in a close-knit, 'safe' village community.

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